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Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development (DID) has launched an initiative to recover government buildings that are illegally occupied across the province to use for student accommodation and for other service delivery requirements.

The department has identified several properties that are illegally occupied and posing causing risk to surrounding communities. Some of these properties are highly valuable assets while others are non-core assets which will be disposed through auctions.

Responding during a sitting in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature, MEC Jacob Mamabolo said this initiative was part of the Gauteng Provincial Government’s objective to maximize the value of all registered and strategic properties owned by government. As the custodian of GPG’s immovable assets, last year, the department completed the Immovable Asset Register worth just over R31 billion and is already implementing a programme to ensure that these properties provide value to the people of Gauteng.

The department has already started reclaiming some illegally occupied properties In the City of Tshwane to make them available to meet the student accommodation needs.

“I will be taking this initiative to the other parts of the province to reclaim these properties for the interests of the people of Gauteng,” commented Mamabolo.

He said the department has received a go-ahead from the Provincial Government to ensure that all public properties are managed effectively and efficiently, in order to relieve the province of the unnecessary costs such as those related to security and maintenance. This, the department will achieve through the disposal of properties that are non-strategic to the core business of government.

The process is already in motion and has seen the official residence of the Premier being sold. The department will further enter into medium and short term leases with the private sector so that government’s property portfolio can be utilized to help boost the economy of the province.

“We will also be going to the market to acquire technical capacity to manage these properties, enter into lease agreements and collect revenue to ensure that these assets can serve the needs of the people of our province”

As part of modernizing the departmental business processes, DID has built an automated electronic asset register that allows for the constant monitoring of the entire property portfolio. This system is housed in the department’s project eye known as Lutsinga Infrastructure House - a hub to monitor project performance and maintenance.

Issued by Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development